A homeless man was charged with first-degree murder for the 2005 savage beating death of another man on April 5, 2005. Edward Farley and his cousin, Ray Farley, were arrested after a confidential informant told police that Edward had admitted to the killing.

Ray later told investigators that his cousin struck Richard Hamilton in the head with a fence post and a rock. County Attorney Jim Rocke said that Edward struck Richard with the fence post, left the scene, and then returned, this time smashing the man's head with a rock. "Rick urged Ed to make sure Rick was dead," Rocke said.

Richard and the Farleys met at the City Mission where the men stayed on and off. Richard struggled with alcoholism. The family claimed Richard was killed partly because he had attempted to protect a black man being assaulted by the Farleys one week earlier in a racially-motivated attack near the mission.